Department of Geography at the University of Bonn

The Department of Geography at the University of Bonn is part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and belongs to the Department of Earth Sciences. Our research and teaching covers almost the entire spectrum of Geography, which guarantees the necessary breadth in an interdisciplinary study program.

Once a semester, the Department of Geography publishes a newsletter on current developments and events.

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Information for International Students

News

Gendered Sand and Dust Storms Impacts: GIUB and UNU-EHS Students Present Research at UNCCD CRIC 23, Panama

On December 3, 2025, four MSc students from UNU-EHS and the University of Bonn presented their research at UNCCD CRIC 23 in Panama, following a commissioned consultancy project. Their study examined the gender-differentiated impacts of sand and dust storms in Mali, Egypt, and Australia, showing that women and men are affected differently due to distinct gender roles, livelihoods, and access to resources. The findings highlighted unequal health, economic, and social impacts, with women facing heightened maternal health risks and men often delaying medical care due to gender norms. The presentation contributed to international discussions and strengthened UNCCD commitments to gender-responsive adaptation, youth empowerment, and women-led land restoration initiatives.

Geographical health research: GIUB and GHC sign cooperation agreement

On 7 January 2026, the long-standing collaboration between the GeoHealth Centre and the Department of Geography at the University of Bonn was secured for the long term through a cooperation agreement. This strengthens Bonn's position as an important location for geographical health research. The cooperation in research and teaching, previously shaped significantly by Prof. Dr. Thomas Kistemann, will be continued under the leadership of PD Dr. Timo Falkenberg and Apl. Prof. Dr. Carsten Butsch. Key areas of joint research are urban health and health in the Global South.

Emma Minja successfully defends her dissertation on contested hydropower development in Tanzania

On December 18, 2025, Emma Athanasio Minja successfully defended her dissertation “Contested Waters: Historical Legacies of Hydropower Dams, and Future-Making in Tanzania’s Rufiji Basin (1960s–2010s)”. The dissertation was supervised by Prof. Dr. Detlef Müller-Mahn (Department of Geography, University of Bonn) and Prof. Dr. Ulrike Lindner (Department of History, University of Cologne). Congratulations!

Litter in the Rhine River: Some 53,000 Items of Litter Flow Past Cologne Daily

The amount of litter floating in the Rhine is many times larger than previously believed. Researchers from the University of Bonn, the University of Tübingen and the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) partnered with the Cologne-based non-profit pollution-fighting organization K.R.A.K.E. to collect and classify macro litter in a floating litter trap—the only one of its kind in Germany—over a period of 16 months. Katharina Höreth from Prof. Dr. Mariele Evers' working group “Ecohydrology and Water Resources Management” at the Department of Geography is part of the project. Extrapolation models based on the observed volume indicate that roughly 53,000 items of macro waste debris float past Cologne on the Rhine river every day. Disposable plastic products make up a large proportion of the litter found in the Rhine. The findings have now been published in the scientific journal “Communications Sustainability.”

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Events

Thursday Feb 05, 2026

Vernissage | Identity and Space

Meckenheimer Allee 166, ...

05:30 PM

Places have much to do with who we are. They shape our childhood, our ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. Memories of places provide a sense of stability ...

All events

The Department of Geography has a rich history that spans more than 140 years of teaching and research. It is the largest and one of the most distinguished Geography departments in Germany.

It has 15 independent research groups that encompass a wide variety of geographical topics. Our research is organized around eight research clusters within five main research focus areas: Water Futures, Risk and Security, Governing Transformations, Inequality and Justice and Land Surface Dynamics. Geomorphology, Hydrology, Development Geography and Remote Sensing are just a few examples of our wide choice of research clusters in Human and Physical Geographies. Each of our research fields is managed by one or more professors in the department. This enables us to provide our students with a high quality and unique education, especially if they wish to choose an interdisciplinary or applied study-approach.

The Department of Geography on Social Media

The Department of Geography is active on different social media portals. Please use the following links to get directly on our profiles.

Instagram

We post all news from the department on teaching, events and the everyday life at the department on Instagram. You can also find the best pictures from our field trips here.

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Bluesky

We publish the latest news from the work of our research groups (e.g. new projects & publications, exciting talks) on Bluesky, and are connected to important institutions and researchers.

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YouTube

We have different videos on YouTube: introductions of the department and certain groups within, videos from field trips, helpful tips on literature research in our library and much more.

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Links to other important institutions

Directly connected with the Department of Geography at the University of Bonn are the Fachschaft Geographie, the Geographical Society of Bonn and the Geoverbund ABC/J.

Student Council Geography

The Fachschaft Geographie is the officially elected Student Council Geography and represents all students at the Department of Geography.

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Geographical Society of Bonn

The Geographical Society of Bonn (BGG) is a registered, non-profit association. The most important goal of the BGG is to present findings of geographical research to the general public in easily comprehensible way.

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Geoverbund ABC/J

The Geoverbund ABC/J is the geoscientific network of the Aachen-Bonn-Cologne/Jülich research area.

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Contact

Address of the Department

Contact

+49 (0)228-737290

geographie@uni-bonn.de

Address

Meckenheimer Allee 166

53115 Bonn

Germany

Administrative Office, Heike Breitbach

Contact

+49 (0)228 73-7290

gf-assistenz-geographie@uni-bonn.de

Address

Meckenheimer Allee 166

Room 0.011 (104a)

53115 Bonn

Germany

Respect each other! Respect boundaries - create safe places

The Department of Geography has set itself the task of enabling everyone to work together on an equal, non-discriminatory, respectful and trusting basis. Further information can be found on the page Protection against violence.